Sins Of The Father
by Buchichu
Summary: Cinnabar Island had been the location of mysterious cloning experiments before being nearly wiped off the map. Now those secrets have been unearthed and will unravel the very nature of the Pokemon world. Who are Jessie and James, really, and how does their tragic background relate to these mysteries? Can a reunited Ash, Brock and Misty discover the truth before it's too late?


1.

Kanto.

It had been quite some time since Ash had been back, although he'd long been meaning to return. Distracted by one thing or another, he would abashedly inform his mother that no, he can't make it this month, but he should have some time in the very near future. He promised. She would sigh but then cheerfully respond that she looks forward to that day and to take _please_ care of himself and that everyone there says hi.

It was shortly before another planned visit – Ash's mom would be celebrating her 40th birthday – that Ash received a rather unusual message from a friend:

 _Hey Ash,_

 _How have you been? I haven't received any mail in a while…you know how your mom gets. I hope you're writing her! Anyway, we're all excited to see you next month for Delia's birthday but I was hoping I could borrow you a little bit earlier. There's something I'd like you to see in Pewter beforehand. I guess I just need another set of eyes to make sure I'm not crazy._

 _Cheers!_

 _Brock._

And so, with some preparation and brief goodbyes and see-you-soons, Ash and Pikachu left Serena, Clemont and Bonnie behind to catch up with their own families and headed home. After a quick stop in Pewter City, of course.

2.

Meowth found himself a little taken aback at just how moody James was being. Jessie had once again disappeared without warning and they strongly suspected she was secretly applying for another local Showcase or possibly chasing down some poor schmuck she'd decided she was going to marry. Her restlessness within Team Rocket was becoming more than apparent and when Meowth noticed the twerp booking transport to Kanto, James had murmured, bitterly, that he might have figured _that_ would be the last stop. When Meowth pressed the issue, James simply shook his head and said they'd best find Jessie if they intend on keeping up with the twerp.

That had been almost an hour ago and they'd barely spoken a word since. Wandering through the streets of the small fishing town, still searching for their partner, Meowth stretched dramatically enough to get James' attention.

"So whaddya think the twerp is up to? Seemed like a pretty sudden decision to head to Kanto from dis place."

"I have no idea."

"Well, we might as well check in wit da local branch while we're over 'dere."

James sighed again.

"Look, I know Jess is bein' a pain but don't look so bummed! Dis is a perrrrfect opportunity for us to remind da boss about all our hard work in Kalos! Wait till he sees the new pokémon we got!" Meowth tried to show his enthusiasm but the mood was still grim. After several more moments of silence James stopped and lowered his head.

"I think…when we go back, I mean…I think I'm going to go home. To stay." He gritted his teeth as he spoke; the words seemed to force themselves out. Meowth was confused.

"Home? Whaddya talkin' about? You mean Kanto? You…you're gonna stay in Kanto?"

"I mean my _home_ in Kanto, Meowth. I have a home, you know. I think it's time for me to go back."

It must have been the pure absurdity of the statement that lead to Meowth think so hard about what he'd just heard. _Home? His home? In Kanto?_ "James, you can't possibly be talkin' about that freaky mansion with your parents and that lunatic fiancé of yours!" James had spent years not only avoiding the location, but indeed the very topic. It was easy to forget he _had_ a home to go back to when he never discussed it. Now he was talking about "going home" to stay? Absurd, Meowth thought. He had misunderstood.

But James only lifted his head and gazed at the evening sky in response. He was prone to small bouts of depression and was easily distraught or emotional, however Meowth could tell the difference between his melodrama and this. With each act of defiance from Jessie and lately even with every defeat in battle, James seemed more and more disheartened. After this last incident, he seemed to have finally given up. Initially, he hadn't even bothered to take chase after Jessie stormed off nor looked for her following her disappearance. "She'll be back" he'd said, and slumped onto a rock to wait.

Now they headed to the local station to purchase tickets – three – back to Kanto. Jessie would show up…eventually.

3.

"ASH!" He'd barely had a chance to reacquaint himself with flat ground before a pair of large arms wrapped themselves around his waist and heaved him into the air. "Great to see you!"

"Brock," Ash smiled widely "been a while, huh? How are you?" The pair clasped hands in a deep shake while Pikachu bounced around happily and they headed into town, chatting excitedly about all the things they had experienced as quickly and in as few words as they could assemble. As they continued walking, Ash noticed they weren't headed in the direction of the gym, but towards the Pewter Museum of Science. When they neared the entrance, Brock stopped.

"You're probably wondering why we're here. The museum recently began a new exhibition featuring artifacts thought lost at Cinnabar Island after the eruption. Apparently there was a lot more going on there than just a resort."

Ash searched his memories for a moment. Cinnabar…he had earned his Volcano Badge there years earlier and had been informed after leaving Kanto that a volcano had erupted and destroyed nearly the entire island. The gym had moved and a Pokecenter was replaced for travelers, but he'd never heard anything notable about it after that.

"It was all over the news here for a while. There was allegedly some kind of research centre there with all sorts of weird cloning experiments going on. Initially they thought it was all Team Rocket, but as it turns out, this stuff goes way back. Like, way, _way_ back."

Ash was still wrapping his mind around "cloning experiments" when Brock added, "…they're saying these experiments were definitely _not_ limited to pokemon."

"Are you saying they were cloning _people_?"

"Can't say for sure. They found documents dating back hundreds of years sitting next to old computer disks from shortly before the volcano erupted. A lot of the data is encrypted but there are these people coming forward saying they were witness to some of the experiments. They claim it all may be behind the inexplicable and identical beauty of the Jennys and Joys!" Brock's grin widened and Ash felt skeptical.

"Really, Brock? This is just another of your town's ridiculous PR stunts to try and reel in tourists. I mean, human cloning? Conspiracy theories? Give me a break." Pikachu chimed in with an exaggerated "piiiikaa…"

Brock laughed. "It does seem pretty out there and the exhibitor has been getting her share of criticism but I thought you'd appreciate what's inside."

"Is that right?" Ash waited.

"Yep! Admission is only p50!"

4.

Approaching the large exhibit area required passing under a tacky volcano-shaped sign exclaiming "Secrets of Cinnabar!" Ash, who had left Pikachu outside with a tinge of guilt after being told _"No pokémon outside of their pokeballs!"_ gazed over some of the pieces stored safely behind glass shields. There were scrolls and carvings that looked chiselled into volcanic stone while nearby, outdated computers sat among old desk chairs and personalized coffee mugs.

"All of this was inside the volcano?" Ash mused to no one in particular.

Over the loudspeaker, a recorded female voice spoke on about the months of work it took removing, studying and investigating these items that are, ultimately, still hiding the biggest secret of all: the secret to everlasting life! It was all very over-the-top considering no actual evidence of human cloning had been found, but it had certainly drawn in a decent crowd. Ash had never seen the museum so full; guests scurried excitedly from one exhibit to the next, speculating about what it could all mean.

Brock had been quietly following Ash when he'd stopped in front of one particular piece and Brock knew he had been right to bring along his second pair of eyes. Behind a glass display, and as large as a dining room table, hung an ancient-looking painted scroll with an elaborate gold-leaf boarder. In the middle stood two prominent figures, one male, one female, hands clasped. The world around them seemed to be ablaze, the brightly painted stars the only thing separating them from the fire, which licked at their heels. As Ash studied the picture, Brock tapped his shoulder and pointed to a nearby book, also under glass, opened to a full-page illustration. Although the image was different, the pair looked the same as two in the painting. Then, as though his eyes were opened for the first time, Ash looked around the room and saw several more displays, all from different points in time, and all featuring the same duo. There were even statues and old photographs of the couple, from a time that had barely invented photography, dressed in exquisite old fashions and with elaborately styled hair but always the same, sad expressions.

"Fascinating, isn't it?" A female voice behind Ash suddenly snapped him out of his trance. "We keep seeing them but we're still not sure why."

Ash spun around to see a young woman, slightly taller than Brock, with should-length brown hair, glasses and a lab coat, smiling enthusiastically. Brock blushed. "Because we keep seeing them over different time periods, we've theorized they might be clones. Possibly templates, or the opposite – the perfect specimen! And that's why they're so coveted by these devotees and later, scientists. But after a certain point they stopped appearing. We think when the data started being stored digitally, we lost a lot of the more up-to-date information. So if these two still exist, we don't know where they are anymore."

Ash looked up at Brock whose expression told him he'd heard all this before and was eagerly awaiting Ash's reaction. The starry-eyed researcher returned her attention to Ash and Brock. "Oh, I'm so sorry! My name is Professor Bodhi. My father is the head researcher here and has been responsible for most of the discoveries on Cinnabar Island, although we have been researching it since long before the eruption." She extended her hand to Ash. "Are…are you alright? You look terribly pale."

"You said these two people might still exist? Now?"

"Well, not exactly _these_ two people, unless we truly have found the secret of eternal life! No, we have surmised that there have probably been generations of these clones and that some variation of them could have survived. The most recent appearance we have is about a century ago. If just one more generation was created, they could still be alive today, and considering there was apparently work still secretly being done there until the eruption, who knows, there me be another generation yet!"

"And the work being done there…involved Team Rocket?"

"Yes. It looks like they had used the services of this secret group in their own pursuit of cloning. They focused on pokémon, which are apparently a far less complex entity to clone. They were creating powerful clones of rare pokémon; even succeeded in cloning a legendary mew, or so we learned here." She gestured to some files stacked neatly behind glass. "It all ended in a disaster that cost the lives of pretty much Team Rocket's entire science division and it devastated the organization for a while." She snorted. "They never did pay for their crimes, though, the cover-up was quite extensive."

Ash realized he wasn't even sure what she was saying anymore and he took off his hat, running his fingers nervously through his hair before returning it. Bodhi was still prattling on about the ethics of cloning and Team Rocket when Ash turned to Brock. "Is this why you brought me here? You don't actually think…?"

"I don't know, Ash, that's why I needed you here. So I could ask you: am I crazy? Is this who I think it is?"

"I wanna say it's a coincidence but the whole Team Rocket thing…I mean…"

Bodhi, who had stopped talking and was now listening to their conversation, suddenly grasped Ash by the shoulders. "Don't tell me! You've _seen_ them?"

Ash nodded. "Oh, I've seen them. And seen them. And seen them." He was still reeling when the frantic professor shook him again.

"You have to tell me! Where? _Where are they?"_

The woman's demeanor had gone from chipper to desperate so fast it made Ash uncomfortable. He politely removed her hands from his shoulders and shrugged. "I couldn't tell you. At least not now, but…if I hear anything I'll let you know." He and Brock found themselves backing quickly out of the exhibit and into the safety of the amassing crowd.

"Wait!" The woman followed, waving after them. "Please, you need to help me find them!" But the guests closed in around her and soon the two boys were out of sight. She bit her thumbnail while she regained her composure, straightened her glasses and hustled back to her office.

5.

The mood among the team had improved gradually after Jessie's return. It always did, although the feeling of joyous reunion seemed less celebratory and more compulsory with each passing incident. James knew it was never a good idea to make Jessie feel guilty or alienated due to her predictable fight or flight response and Jessie knew it didn't take too many "atta boys" to feed James' ego back to something more manageable. Perhaps they were catching on to one another tactics, or perhaps they simply grew bored of the game, but Meowth could see the cracks. Most damning was what James had told him before they'd left, and he knew the Team would be doomed if he didn't intervene.

"Ahh, home sweet home!" Jessie stretched her arms out and took in a deep breath of air. "I say we head to Chrysanthemum Island and tan, tan, taaaan!" She spun on her heels and clapped her hands happily.

James sighed. "That's pretty far Jess. We have no idea how long the twerp-"

"Oh to hell with the twerp; let's take this opportunity to _relax!_ We can check in with headquarters and keep an eye on that kid later. Right?"

James and Meowth exchanged glances and shrugged, defeated. Vacation it was.

And so the trio found themselves strolling through a crowded little flea market while Jessie searched for a bathing suit. They would have to make their way to Fuchsia City in order to reach the resort and decided balloon was the best mode of travel, this being the closest stop to shop. Meowth, who was perched next to James on a makeshift bench while Jessie tried on an endless stream of bikinis, had finally worked up the courage to confront his partner. As much as he'd hoped James had said something ridiculous out of impulse, the mere suggestion that he return home to his fiancé was so out-of-character that the pokémon could hardly ignore it.

"James, about whatchya said before we left…you didn't mean dat, didjya?"

James, eyes closed and on the verge of sleep, didn't respond.

"Because Jess would _neva_ forgive you, ya know. You promised her you'd neva let 'er down – neva leave 'er! It would just prove her stupid theory dat 'everyone she gets close to leaves her,' and you know how much she'd love _dat_! I'd never hear da end of da _'told ya sos'_ and-"

 _"Will you keep your voice down?!"_ James hissed at the pokémon, who had surprised even himself by his own outburst. Jessie was still humming joyfully in the dressing room as a growing pile of rejected bathing suits accumulated on the floor out front. "I'm doing this _for_ Jessie, don't you understand?" He pressed his fingers against his forehead for a moment as he collected his thoughts.

"Jessie deserves the opportunity to move on with her life. To become a great Coordinator, or Performer or…somebody's bride." He smiled sadly. "She wants to get married and settle down and as long as I'm around I'll hold her back. _Because_ of my promise. Don't you see? She won't leave me behind and so she's stuck here, with me and Team Rocket, going nowhere…" he trailed off before turning back to Meowth and puffing out his chest. "Anyway, it's time I take care of my own responsibilities as well. I've had my freedom, but as the sole son and heir to my family name I can't keep running away like a child. Sooner or later one has to face up to one's obligations as a man."

"Oh _please!_ Are you kiddin' me? Other than da obvious dispute of your ' _man'_ comment, dose so-called 'parents' of yours only cared about you marrying dat harpy and-" he shuddered "…'continuing the family line'"

"Well, of course. I'm their only son – their only child – if I don't, who will? Mother and Father were only able to conceive one child and unfortunately for them, it was me. This way I can do right by Jessie, my parents and the fiancé who has been waiting rather a long time for her big day." James forced a smile and patted the distressed pokémon on the head. "I would never forget about you either, Meowth! When I get married I'll be entitled to my inheritance – that which doesn't belong to Jessibelle, of course. I'll make sure both you and Jessie are taken care of for the rest of your lives. I promise."

" _Promise?!_ " Meowth slapped his hand away. "More promises. I don't want your money James, and Jessie don't either! How dare you try to bribe me into not carin' that yer willing to just throw yer life away for everyone else?"

James waved his hands frantically. "Shhh! Meowth, I didn't…!" behind him he heard a door open.

"…and _another_ thing! How long are you gonna keep playin' da victim like dis – James da _hero_ , James da _martyr!_ \- instead of just telling-"

"James? Meowth? Are you two arguing?" Jessie poked her head out from around the corner. "For the love of- …It's not about that stupid bobble cart back there, is it? I thought we'd resolved that already!"

"Ah! No, no, it's nothing!" James stood up quickly and scratched his head. "We were just bickering about something stupid, nothing to worry about Jess. Did you find what you were looking for?" Meowth, for his part, stayed silent.

Jessie stepped out from behind the door to reveal a flattering and tasteful bikini. Her tastes had visibly matured as the years passed and James couldn't help but blush a little. "Looks great."

"Wrap it up and let's blow this popsicle stand already." Meowth suddenly huffed, and stormed out of the tiny shop. Jessie looked over at her partner, who simply smiled innocently and gestured her towards the cashier.

6.

The young woman slid a photograph across a desk to a spectacled older gentleman, bearded and grey. He looked it over silently as she spoke. "This is our break, dad, I know it! Those boys – they've seen our targets. They'll lead us right to them!"

He nodded and handed the picture – a security grab of the boys from earlier – back to her trembling hand. "Don't get ahead of yourself, dear. We've had close calls before."

"I know, father, it's just…we're _so_ close. I can feel it."

7.

In another office, in another city, Giovanni stroked his nearby Persian while his receptionist bowed politely before him. "I'm sorry for the interruption, sir, but you said to inform you if there was any significant change."

"Proceed."

"Sir…" the young woman, dressed in a slightly altered Team Rocket uniform and matching black cap, shifted uncomfortably. "Sir, they've arrived in Kanto."

" _What?!_ When?" Giovanni's face contorted and his normally calm demeanor disappeared.

"Two days ago, sir - I'm so sorry! They only reported in _after_ arriving – the last we'd heard they were still in Kalos Region!"

"Dammit!" Giovanni leaned into his intercom and muttered something incomprehensible, other than it being followed by _"…immediately!"_ He then turned his attention back to the terrified receptionist (his Persian, meanwhile, had astutely hid itself beneath his desk). "You! Make sure nobody else hears of this. If they show themselves here have them detained _without question_ as well as anyone who sees them. Understood?"

"Yessir!" Her hand bounced to her forehead obediently and she dismissed herself from the office. "Why? Why would those idiots come back now?" he growled.

8.

It had been James' idea to check in with headquarters. Truthfully, he was stalling the trip as much as possible as he knew the detour to get to his parent's estate would send them far from their intended destination. But, he decided, his mind was made up. All he had to do now was make preparations for his pokemon (he certainly wouldn't do them the disservice of bringing them along) and break the news to Jessie.

Jessie…

She might hate him for this. To her, at least at first, it may seem like abandonment. Her biggest fear. That thing he promised he would never, ever do to her. And why wouldn't it? He was leaving her high and dry to go marry another woman and live the good life. If she only knew…

James had never been fully honest about his past. None of them had. It was a kind of unspoken agreement they had – the past was the past. Why dwell on what's done when the future is ahead of us? And so, through travel and gradual discovery, bits and pieces would be revealed but never too much. James knew Meowth taught himself to speak human for the love of female Meowth. It didn't work out. He knew Jessie's mother was once in Team Rocket and had abandoned her at a young age (thank a little too much sake in the hot spring for that one). And, thanks to an accidental encounter, his partners knew he came from a wealthy family of lunatics and was in an arranged marriage with a woman who looked just like Jessie.

Awkward.

Fortunately the whole thing was quickly forgotten. Possibly out of the irrational fear that she had almost lost him the first time, Jessie never again brought up a scheme to get James' inheritance. Meowth had grumbled about it once or twice but also never broached the subject out loud. James, on the other hand, would think about it only when his nightmares forced him to. The entire incident jarred him to the core. Had Jessie and Meowth only known, they never would have tried to force him…

But for her he'd go back. He knew now he couldn't stay by her side forever. That one day she'd move on without him to be with that true love she's always talking about. Her Prince Charming. And as much as his heart would break to do it, he would have to say goodbye and watch from afar as Jessie lives her life without him. But he was resolved to face it with a smile, because what mattered most was that she was _happy_. For now, however, he was standing in the way of her happiness and to James that was nothing short of a crime. Facing his punishment would be easy.

"James?"

He turned towards the sound and saw Jessie leaning impatiently against the doorframe of the Pokecenter where they were staying. "You've already made me miss a good tanning day with this stop. Why are we here?"

"Jessie, I…we have to talk."

9.

"Aaaaaasshhh!" Sitting outside of Brock's gym and already on edge after the incident at the museum, Ash's legs wobbled nearly to jelly when he was suddenly accosted from behind by an unknown assailant.

"Misty!" A wave of relief. "What are you doing here?"

"Are you kidding, dummy? Brock told me you were coming to Kanto early so of course I'd be here." She glanced up at Brock, Pikachu perched itself comfortably on her shoulder. "So didjya take him?"

Brock nodded.

"Weird, huh?" Misty clearly didn't find the whole situation quite as unnerving as Ash did. She was smiling brightly as though they were all sharing an inside joke.

"Weird, yeah. And what about that professor lady? She freaked me out." Ash couldn't get the look of desperation she had out of his head. Puzzled, Misty looked towards Brock, who proceeded to clarify. "Misty never met Professor Bodhi." He told Misty about their strange encounter and she tapped her chin thoughtfully with her index finger for a moment.

"That does seem fishy. I mean, no one wants to find Team Rocket _that_ bad."

"Misty." Pikachu had leaped gracefully back onto Ash's shoulder.

"Seriously, though! I kind of want to see what their reaction would be to the whole thing. I wonder if they followed you here..."

"All the way to Kanto?"

"Well, they followed you all the way to Kalos _from_ Kanto, didn't they?" Misty chuckled. "I wouldn't put it past them."

And then the reality struck him that there was a very good chance they _had_ followed him here, as usual. And for some reason, that thought made him more uncomfortable than ever before.

10.

Meowth had been preparing the balloon to finally set off for what he'd hoped would really be nothing more than a beach resort vacation. Maybe James' lapse of sanity would fix itself with a little rest stop. Maybe some sun and a spa treatment will help Jessie to focus. Just a little distraction and we can all move on…just like always…

At that moment Jessie sauntered around the corner, breaking Meowth's concentration. "Is the balloon ready or what?" she snapped.

"Almost dere, hold yer ponyta. Where's James?"

"James has decided he's heading in a different direction and since I don't feel like wasting anymore of my precious time he's volunteered to find his own transportation."

"Oh, no…" Meowth's stomach dropped. He dashed towards the Pokecenter entrance while Jessie stomped her feet behind him.

"Meowth! Get back here! I _demand_ you get this balloon ready to fly!"

Meowth ignored her and flew inside.

James was sitting on the edge of the bunk bed, his head hanging.

"You didn't." Meowth whispered. James looked up, a miserable smile stretched across his tear-streaked face.

"I've already contacted Hopkins. Watch over her for me Meowth. I know she can be happy now." He patted a small case next to his belongings, which he'd already managed to collect earlier without being seen. "My pokémon. I…I can't take them with me so please…"

"No _, no way!_ James, what are you _thinkin'_?"

"…find them a good home. I know they'll understand someday. Jessie, too. Meowth…you understand, don't you?" He looked at the pokémon with eyes so filled with grief that Meowth could only collapse into his arms and nod. "Meowth. I'll never forget you! But please don't come for me. Don't let Jessie. Once I go home there's no coming back…I'll be married. Okay?" Meowth nodded again. James ignored the pain as the Pokémon dug his claws into his ribcage.

11.

"Wonderful news." James' father watched as the car carrying one of their servants drive off down the long, twisting driveway to their manor. "He's finally coming home."

"Isn't it wonderful?" James' mother joined his side as the limousine disappeared around a small forest of elegantly trimmed hedges. "Let us gather Jessibelle and prepare for the ceremony."

12.

Ash, Pikachu, Brock and Misty were catching up and playing with Brock's gaggle of brothers and sisters when an intimidating black car with deeply tinted windows pulled up next to them. At first, all they could see was their own reflections in the window, until it began to roll down and a distinguished-looking gentleman peered out.

"I might of known you were the cause of all this." He said, looking directly at Ash.

"I'm sorry?" Ash could feel Pikachu tense up next to him. "Do I know you?"

The man seemed exasperated. "That doesn't matter right now. I assume you've seen the exhibit? You've seen the pictures in there?"

Everyone gasped at that and a lightbulb suddenly went off in Ash's head. "I _do_ know you! You're the leader of Team Rocket…you're Jessie and James' boss!" Brock and Misty were noticeably stunned.

"That's right, boy, and thanks to your unexpected return to Kanto you've placed my people in rather a great deal of danger. I'd appreciate your assistance in this matter." The door of the car began to open.

"What are you talking about? Do you really expect me to just hop in a car with you? I've literally seen you try to destroy the world!" The man's eyes widened, but his expression quickly returned to calm.

"Indeed, that was an…unfortunate situation. And if you'll recall, I have those bumbling idiots to thank for snapping me out of that state. So, as you can imagine, I have a certain obligation to keep them alive."

"'Keep them alive'?" Brock interrupted. "Are you saying their lives are in danger? What does that have to do with Ash?"

"These are all things I'd be happy to explain to you, but not here. Each passing moment that this exhibit stays open brings my people closer to danger. The fact that I can't locate them makes me…uneasy. I was hoping for your assistance."

"You know, the people putting on this show are also looking for Jessie and James because of what's in there. Are they the ones who want to hurt them?" A vision of the woman in a lab coat and her bulging eyes suddenly found itself in Ash's head.

The man looked in the direction of the museum nervously. "Possibly. If I knew where the threat truly lay I'd eliminate it. All I know is something that should have stayed buried has been exposed and as a result…"

"Yeah, yeah – your people are in danger." Ash took the handle of the door. He wasn't even sure what he was thinking; _this_ man was dangerous. He was the leader of a well-known gang of criminals. He had threatened them all in the past. But that feeling that Ash had when he's exited the museum hadn't left his gut and Ash's gut hadn't let him down before. And despite what a regular thorn in his side Jessie, James and Meowth were, he had no desire to see them hurt or killed – especially if he was somehow responsible. "Misty – I want you to take Pikachu and go to Pallet Town."

"Ash, no way! I-"

"Misty, please. One of us has to make sure the others make it back," he shot Geovanni a distrustful look. "And if anyone can help us locate Team Rocket- er…well, those three – in the meantime, it's Pikachu. Please? Tell mom that Brock and I will meet you all there soon. I just want to hear what he has to say."

And with that, Brock and Ash left in the dark vehicle with Misty and Pikachu waving behind them. "I hope your dummy of a trainer knows what he's doing." Misty muttered. At that moment she felt a light tap on her shoulder.

"Excuse me," a female voice said. "Do you know those boys? May I have a word with you?"

Misty turned to see a young woman with glasses and shoulder-length brown hair standing before her.

13.

Jessie and Meowth spent several uncomfortable hours in the balloon together. Jessie was still fuming. She had finally stopped spitting out vulgarities and insults in James' direction after Meowth told her how uncomfortable it was making him. Meowth, meanwhile, choked back tears and waited patiently for Jessie to be calm enough to talk to.

 _I know I promised ya, Jimmy, but I ain't leavin' you in dat house a horror any longer den I hafta. We'll getchya outta dere, just wait._

"Meowth," Jessie finally spoke. "This silly machine has been beeping for a while now. What is it?"

"Gah!" The pokémon snatched up the small device and looked it over for a moment. "Damn. Team Rocket has been summonin' us for a while now. Wit everything goin' on, I didn't notice…"

"Ugh! Why did that moron have to report in? I'll never get my vacation!" Jessie slumped into the balloon dramatically as Meowth changed course for headquarters.

"What should I tell them? About James, I mean…"

"What do you think?" Jessie studied her nails in an obvious attempt to look nonchalant. "He quit."

Meowth bit his lip and reported back to headquarters as requested: he and Jessie would be returning without James. In a final act of desperation, Meowth pleaded with his partner. "We should go back and get him Jess! He ain't thinkin' clear and once dey get their claws into him…"

"Oh, _what?_ He'll be forced to marry his beautiful fiancé? And inherit his fortune and live in his big mansion? Poor James." Jessie's attitude was starting to grate on Meowth. James had told him this would happen and to please be patient and that she was really just hurting inside, but he'd had enough. His claws sprang out and Jessie backed up defensively.

"Listen, Jess, you know as well as I do dat he _hates_ dat place! He can't stay and live like dat, under their control while dat beast does whatever it is she did to him to traumatize him in da first place...!"

Jessie rolled her eyes.

"Jessie, _please_ , think about James for a second and not your own ego! He…he did dis for you and you're just going to…"

"ENOUGH!" Jessie turned from him and slammed her fists down on the balloons edge. "We're going back to headquarters. James knows how to find us if he decides to run away from home again."

14.

The mansion loomed over James like a grotesque from his nightmares while his butler faithfully opened his car door for him and directed him towards the entrance.

"Isn't it wonderful to be home again, Master James?" he exclaimed. "The Lord and Mistress have been simply beside themselves all this time!"

"I'm sure they have." James said flatly.

"And Madam Jessibelle has missed you so! I'm happy you decided to return to us, Master-"

"Thank you, Hopkins. I can manage." James lifted the small case that held whatever belongings he had deemed worth keeping. His most precious bottlecaps and a few other sentimental items he'd collected…Jessie, he imagined, would be happy to see his "hoard" finally off the balloon.

"Of course, Master James. Right this way."

James followed the servant up the long entranceway and through the gate towards their front door. He had to take in each breath slowly and deliberately for fear he might stop breathing altogether; his palms were sweaty and his heartbeat seemed to pound directly into his eardrums. He'd been trained a long time ago to control his anxiety attacks, but coming face-to-face with their trigger was more than James could handle and he felt himself begin to falter. Before the ringing in his ears could overtake him, strong hands griped his shoulders and steadied his balance.

"Son! It's so good to see you again." The taller man barked. James suddenly felt like a child. He looked up at his parents compliantly and realized he was back and he was utterly alone.

James was home.

15.

Brock nodded and took the unopened bottle of water the distinguished man silently offered him in the car. He and Ash sat directly across from Giovanni, who had immediately taken a call as the vehicle pulled away. The conversation, although spoken in hushed tones, seemed intense and when Giovanni hung up he looked sternly at the two uneasy boys.

"We've finally gotten a hold of Meowth. They're heading back to headquarters."

"That's great then, right?" Ash offered. "So you found them. They're fine."

"Not exactly." Giovanni tapped the driver's window and communicated something to him before turning his attention back to the boys. "Apparently we've located Meowth and Jessie, who are on their way to our headquarters' secret location. Unfortunately we've been informed that James is not with them."

Ash and Brock exchanged confused glances. _Not with them?_ That didn't make any sense at all. Those three were _always_ together.

"Apparently, in what I can only describe as a worst-case-scenario, James has headed back for his family's estate."

"What's wrong with that?" Brock asked. "I mean, from what I remember, they weren't exactly pleasant, but…he should be _safe_ , right?"

"Wrong." Giovanni's voice lowered. "Perhaps in any other situation returning home to your family would be the safest bet. In this case, the opposite is true."

"Why's that?"

"Because those people…are not his family."

16.

Darkness.

It always started that way. Whenever conditioning began he would find himself waking up, groggily, in a pit of darkness. He was restrained, as usual, and the ticking sound of a nearby metronome suddenly brought years of repressed memories back to the surface. James leaned over the side of the chair he was tied to and vomited.

"Oh my!" an overly cheerful voice chirped in the distance. "James, I daresay, you've made quite a mess!"

"I'll attend to it, miss." He heard Hopkins say nearby.

Then he heard the clip-clop, clip-clop of Jessibelle's heels approach him and the feeling of leather on his face as something slipped his blindfold off. She stood before him, dressed in her thigh-high leather boots, hair tied in feminine ribbons and a sturdy-looking whip in her right hand.

"Welcome home, my love! It's so wonderful to see you again. We simply _must_ make up for all this lost time."

17.

Jessie and Meowth thought their welcoming committee seemed a little strange. While they were usually ignored completely by other members of Team Rocket, this time they were approached immediately by two armed guards and directed straight towards a large meeting room. The mood was tense and they walked in long, quick strides. It had been a weird day, but when they got inside, things took a turn for the truly bizarre.

"What the _hell?_ " Jessie exclaimed, upon seeing their boss sitting at a large table across from the twerps.

"What're _dey_ doin' here?" Meowth chimed in.

The group looked over with severe expressions. "Shut up and sit down." Giovanni replied, and the two quickly pulled up seats at the table.

"I suppose it's my own fault, when I ordered to you follow this boy." He began without waiting. "I should have kept a closer eye on your whereabouts, but when Cinnabar Island was exposed I had assurance you three were in Kalos." He signed heavily. "I hadn't predicted he would lead you straight back to the lion's pit."

"Sir?" was all Jessie could squeak out.

"There is much explanation required, unfortunately our time is extremely limited. Now that they've got James and the replica, they'll be able to complete the ceremony. It won't be long before they're fully prepared."

"'Replica'? 'Ceremony'? Whaddya talkin' about, boss? What's goin' on?"

"I need you two to listen very carefully. What I'm about to explain to you will be difficult to believe however I assure you it is all real" He turned to Jessie. "Much of what you believe to be your past is, in fact, a lie. A very elaborate lie that was created in order to hide your identity and protect you from the hands of the very people you just let your partner walk into."

Giovanni informed the group that a helicopter had been prepared and was now waiting for them on the roof. He would have as much time as it took to gather his reinforcements to explain what would, essentially, be Jessie and James' life stories.

18.

It had been an accidental discovery. Team Rocket had been researching mysterious radio signals they were receiving from Cinnabar Island, which wasn't known for much other than the gym there, when they came across the group that called themselves The Followers. Some weird cultists who had created a strange, underground religion based around an old priestess and sorcerer or some odd thing from a millennium ago.

Madame Boss, a stern-looking woman in red who would lead Team Rocket during their most influential time, scoffed at the idea. However, she had seen the technology they were using in their rituals and she knew they had hit the jackpot: however they had managed it, these deluded people were able to clone human tissue. She had her most reliable and closest associate, Miyamoto, collect all the data she could and they quickly began a collaboration with The Followers. Team Rocket would bring in dozens of their own scientists to help develop the unique cloning technology these people seemed to have perfected, while The Followers were rewarded with more materials and resources than they could have ever imagined. All while under the radar and away from the prying eyes of society.

Team Rocket had no need of human cloning, however they were obsessed with cloning what they thought to be the perfect pokémon, if it even existed: Mew. Madame Boss had gotten increasingly preoccupied with the idea, losing herself in the fantasy of an army made up mew…surely enough power to seize control of Kanto and eventually Team Rocket would be a worldwide power! But Miyamoto had reservations about these mysterious cultists and what they were up to. Without orders, she had begun doing her own research, studying exactly what these people were doing with their technology and why it involved human cloning.

"Do you have any idea how ridiculous you sound?" Madame Boss shuffled some papers on her desk. "Souls being passed down for hundreds of years and using clones as replacement bodies? Their genes creating generation after generation of human skinsuits for them? I mean, honestly Miya. You surprise me."

Miyamoto tossed the file folder onto her boss' desk. "It's all there. I'm telling you, Madame, they raise these children, allow them to live their lives under the delusion of freedom, let them fall in love as they _always_ do and then watch as they're torn apart, tortured and sacrificed when they're..." she swallowed hard. "… _'ripe._ '"

"Ripe?" The woman looked up from her papers.

"When they've been properly conditioned – until they feel the souls have experienced everything they need in order to nourish these ancient things. Love, hate, pain, fear; they're allowed to live their lives until maturity and it's like it's _…sucked out of them._ They take their bodies and consume their souls!"

The woman in red stared at her most trusted operative for a moment and then turned her attention to the papers she was given. "You did all this behind my back."

"Yes, ma'am. I'm…I'm sorry for disappointing you."

The woman ignored her and lifted a photograph in her direction. It depicted two infants. "Are these the children you were talking about?"

"Yes." The photograph pained her. "They're going to hurt these innocent babies unless we do something!"

Madame Boss sighed. Miyamoto had always had a soft spot for children. She was even able to tolerate her brat of a son – she was the only person he seemed to actually care for. And yet she had devoted herself entirely to Team Rocket. She had never married and, as much as she seemed to regret it, never had children. Her bleeding heart would threaten this extremely delicate relationship, and with some remorse, she told her underling to forget about the children, there are no monsters and to return to her station for further orders.

19.

"I don't understand any of this." Jessie felt her head spinning and it wasn't just because of the helicopter she was riding. "Miyamoto – she's my mother. She left me behind and then got killed on some mission for Team Rocket. That's what I was always told."

"That's the official story." Giovanni nodded. "When Miyamoto fled Cinnabar Island with the children Team Rocket had to scramble to come up with something."

"Holy crap!" Ash suddenly spoke up, "are you saying Jessie is one of those babies?"

"And let me guess," Meowth added. "James is the other one."

"That's right. This bleeding-heart operative my mother put so much of her trust into went and nearly ruined five years of careful negotiation over a couple of squalling infants."

The group exchanged worried glances as Giovanni continued.

"In any case, before she was able to go into hiding, one of the children was recovered. Team Rocket agreed to assist in fixing the damage Miyamoto had done and they were able to reassemble a new clone. Because it wasn't made directly from the original as they had always been, it was considered unfinished. A facsimile that would be able to carry the old soul but that would never have the ingrained memories or established relationship with the other clone; something that had been perfected over hundreds of years. It was a disappointing step back for them, but they allowed us to continue our work there."

"N…No…" Jessie whispered, as what her boss was saying finally seemed to sink in. "You're saying I'm…I'm a…"

"Yes, Jessie, you're a clone." Giovanni sounded bored. "So is James. James' 'parents' are nothing more than the clones that came before you two and the ones currently housing the souls of two very eager...somethings...that have been waiting a long time to get this ceremony over with."

"…and Jessibelle…"

"She's the facsimile, of course. She looks like you, sounds like you and is made up of technically the same genetic material as you, but she was created with genetic scrap rather than the long-perfected materials taken directly from the source. That is to say, she's incomplete. It's probably why James never bonded with her properly as a child." He shrugged and sipped on a small container of tea an associate had passed over to him moments before.

"Excuse me for saying this, sir" Brock spoke up for the first time, "but for somebody who doesn't seem overly concerned about your people, who considered them nothing more than squalling babies interrupting your mother's hard work, you sure are going out of your way to help them. Why have you been protecting them for so long?"

The man sighed and put down his drink. "To put it simply, I've been compelled to. There was a contract made – one I have committed to keep – and I intend to do whatever I can to keep it."

"Explain." Jessie's voice cracked slightly.

"Shortly after you were left somewhere safely hidden, the person you knew as your mother was on assignment to find Mew. My mother was convinced the pokémon existed and that she could clone it. Her own life was beginning to fall apart in pursuit of this, as was Team Rocket. She had been persuaded to send Miyamoto into the mountains by The Followers, who were still bitter about her actions and that she refused to give them the location of the missing child. …It all seemed a rather obvious way to conveniently eliminate a target but my mother was too preoccupied to notice.

Well, miraculously I might add, Miyamoto found Mew. Unfortunately, at roughly the same time, an avalanche had been purposely triggered above her and ultimately left her on the verge of death. Mew apparently felt guilty it hadn't arrived in time to help and, in her dying breath, she somehow managed to relate to the pokémon what was happening on Cinnabar Island. She referenced her child, the boy she left behind, the experiments, the sacrifices and her reason for seeking Mew out in the first place. She was later reported Missing in Action among the remaining Team Rocket members, who themselves were never informed officially as to how we managed to finally clone a mew."

"H-how _is_ that?" Ash stuttered.

"Mew approached _us_. It offered to allow us to use its genetic material in exchange for the safety of the children and the destruction of this cult and its practices. It knew that these unnatural events had to stop and my mother, in her infinite wisdom, agreed to its terms. When James fled the grounds of where the other clones were being held it was the perfect opportunity to snatch him up. We enrolled the two of you separately in Pokémon Tech, close to Vermilion where we could keep an eye on you both, and simply allowed nature to run its course. This was the promise we made.

I must say, everyone involved was surprised at how quickly the two of you managed to find one another and bond but," he sighed, "I suppose it was what you were born to do, in a very literal sense. Team Rocket flourished again after the creation of Mew's clone, MewTwo, and one of the first things we used the creature for was creating a volcanic eruption on Cinnabar Island enough to wipe out the entire location."

"Then that shoulda been the end of it!" Meowth objected.

"Indeed, it should have. However the survivors of the cult, which had amassed a small fortune over the years and were far more tenacious than we could have predicted, were determined to complete the ritual. They had spies everywhere, searching for their missing clones. They had a vested interest, you see."

"You're talking about James' parents…or whoever they are." Ash said with a disgusted tone. Meowth recalled various butlers they had run into in the past who, in spite of any sympathy or affection they may have had for him, would always report James to his parents.

"That's correct. We're quite convinced they have everything they need to complete the ritual in order to inhabit their replacement bodies, with the exception of one crucial ingredient."

"James." Jessie whispered.

"As they have been carefully conditioning the facsimile for the ritual, all they truly need is her counterpart in order to fulfill their requirements. We were aware of this and while you were in Team Rocket – and yes, we quietly guided your hands in that decision as well – we made sure you were both out-of-reach."

"All those stupid assignments." Meowth muttered. "All those times we were sent runnin' around from town to town and then…"

"You ordered us to follow him around." Jessie looked over at Ash.

"Yes, you three managed to get fixated on that Pikachu on your own but when I saw the boy was practically nomadic and you idiots were willing to follow him without question, I simply used that to my advantage. 'Follow the boy. Do what you have to do catch his Pikachu.' Do you honestly believe I have any interest in an electric rat I can find in the tall grass outside my summer home?"

"And now James…oh, god." Jessie buried her head in her hands. _What had she done?_ She had driven him straight into the enemy's hands. She might as well have tied a bow on him and presented him like a gift. "What will they do to him?"

"I have no idea what kind of sick rituals these deviations have planned, other than the endgame, which consists of them somehow consuming his soul and taking over his body. The old bodies are discarded like yesterday's trash and the cycle starts anew."

"But it can't anymore," Ash interrupted. "The Island is gone. They have no more clones."

"Indeed." Giovanni gestured to the group that they would be landing shortly. "Perhaps that's why they want so desperately to complete this final ritual. It's quite probably their last chance to steal new bodies before the ones they're inhabiting get too old."

Jessie felt sick. Nauseated. Faint. Her reality had just imploded and her partner was about to be sacrificed so some old wizard can take his body from him. Did that sentence even make any sense? Of course not, none of this made any sense and she didn't care. She didn't even care that she had just discovered she was a clone. A clone! All she cared about was James. She had to get him back.

On the ground below a small army of Team Rocket grunts and what looked like armed soldiers, along with their pokémon, were gathered in wait for the helicopter.

"Now then," Giovanni straightened his tie. "The cavalry has arrived. Shall we go rescue your partner?"

20.

The estate could have been anything really. An island. A ranch. A shrine. These are all things it had been in the past…little more than an attractive veneer that covered up an ugly truth.

As had been done many times before, James was being lead, blindfolded, down a long hallway. All he knew was it felt damp, their footsteps always echoed loudly off the walls and it took roughly eight full minutes to reach the first door that lead to his personal hell. He was usually alone with Jessibelle, this being their "personal time" as his parents put it, but this time two more pairs of footsteps accompanied them. They were finally going through with the ceremony, James had been told earlier, and he was handed a superb-looking suit to wear.

So it was strange to him that, rather going to chapel conveniently built and prepared inside the mansion, they were going back down this hallway which – as far as James knew – lead to nothing more than a torture chamber. This was certainly no place to get married, in any case. Jessibelle may be cruel and half-insane most of the time, but she had _standards_. How could she have approved a location like this for her wedding?

Various thoughts passed in and out of James' head as he followed his guides through the final set of doors. He heard them close behind him, lock, and some further shuffling around the room while someone – his father, based on the height and strength – held James steady by the shoulders. Before long a collection of thin, cold fingers with neatly manicured nails slid themselves under his blindfold and released James from his darkness. His mother stepped out of his field of view to give him a better look at the room before him.

Where there had been various instruments and apparatus used in James' conditioning, training and general suffering, was now two upright tables with restraints, each large enough to hold an adult. The equipment around the room was alien to him. It all seemed futuristic and yet ancient at the same time. There was electricity in the air, and a deep part of him felt a dread in this room like he had never felt before.

"Darling, it's time!" his mother exclaimed enthusiastically. She led him to a nearby chair, as if audience to what was going on, as his father proceeded to strap his willing fiancé into one of the contraptions. _This is just too much_ , he thought miserably. He had gone along with so much up until now. He had lost his reason – and thus will – to fight and had simply allowed it to all continue, complying with everything that was asked of him thus far. And even while believing it had all finally sucked whatever humanity he had left away, what he was seeing before him was simply too much.

 _"Why…?"_ he whispered when his mother was within earshot. She smiled back. An empty, cold smile.

"You'll see, dear. Jessibelle has volunteered to go first so that you're not too surprised when it happens." And with that, she took her place next to his fiancé while his father began to tighten her straps. All while holding that empty, cold smile.

21.

The amount of resistance had taken even Giovanni by surprise. Ash remembered feeling real fear for the first time when the normally subdued man's eyes grew round and his voice became shrill.

 _"There must be another entrance we're missing!"_ He was yelling at his subordinates. They, meanwhile, were scrambling to find even the slightest sign, having combed the entire estate in between waves of pokémon attacks. Even the guesthouse next door which had housed James' precious Growlie (whom Jessibelle had managed to discard months earlier) had been ransacked. The place had been set up with advanced security and numerous booby traps and stationed pokémon, all used as nothing more than a stalling tactic. "There's power draining from somewhere – _find out where!"_

He turned towards the frightened group behind him, already regretting having brought a bunch of damn kids into a near warzone. "The ritual has already started." He said sternly. "If we can't find them and put a stop to it…" Jessie clasped her hands to her ears and shook her head violently.

"How much time do we have?" Meowth snapped. "How far could dey have gone?" He had joined the defending pokémon on the front line, clawing his way from one end of the hall to the next.

 _Pikachu…_ Ash thought, as he and his pokémon fought of hordes of attacking others. _Why did I leave you behind?_ And as if in response to his distress, an electric blast volleyed across numerous enemy pokémon and a tiny, yellow ball streaked across the room and landed protectively next to its trainer.

"Pikachu!" the boy exclaimed with equal parts elation and confusion. The others also whirled around in response to his cry when the answer to their questions called out from the doorway.

"Ash! We know where James is! _Hurry!"_ And the redheaded girl bolted from the chaotic hall of the estate, her friends following close behind.

"Misty!" Ash huffed as they sprinted across a nearby field behind Professor Bohdi and several of her people. "What are…you and Pikachu…doing here?"

"The professor brought me!" Misty called back to Ash. "She…filled me in on this cloning business…I told her about this place," she found herself becoming breathless but knew they were quickly approaching the entrance they had discovered only moments earlier.

"But James! How…did you know…?"

"Professor Bodhi's been tracking Team Rocket communications…in their search for the clones…we heard everything!" Misty stopped in front of a door which had been hidden behind brush while Bodhi's people were struggling to open it. She turned to Ash. "We used Pikachu to help us trace the electrical signal here…Pikachu picked it up where the even professor's instruments couldn't!"

Ash patted his pokémon on the head. "Good job, Pikachu!"

Giovanni's team had successfully subdued their attackers and had arrived on site. "Get this door open by whatever means necessary," he ordered his people.

22.

James shrank, terrified, as the woman approached. His eyes were wide and hysterical and when she came even closer he let a small yelp escape his lips while making every attempt to flee from her touch, struggling against the ropes that held him down.

"Now James, is that any way to treat your mother?" the older man said mockingly. The woman – she looked like Jessibelle and yet carried that same empty, cold smile his mother wore – slid an icy finger under his chin and lifted it, forcing their eyes to meet. _Whose eyes are those?_ And when a single tear found itself falling down his left cheek, she lapped it up hungrily, tracing her tongue along its path.

 _Too much._ James thought. _This is too much. This is too much. This is too much._

Behind her, his father had unstrapped what had been his mother from the machine and unceremoniously dumped her on the ground nearby. She looked dead _. But who is this in front of me?_ James squeezed his eyes closed. _No!_ He thought _. This isn't happening. This can't be happening._

"Almost ready, my dear." His father said, cheerfully. This woman – Jessibelle/Mother – began loosening the ties that held James to his viewing chair and he knew his next stop would be the machine. What happened to Jessibelle was about to happen to him. Maybe he wouldn't even care so much if it didn't look so _painful_. She had screamed during nearly the entire process, writhing in agony, twisting and contorting until her eyes rolled back until she became still.

…and then that smile appeared.

 _"Who are you?"_ James asked Jessibelle/Mother, who hummed while she fastened the straps around his neck and arms. She stopped humming and looked up at him. "Please." His voice sounded even smaller than usual but he forced out the words. "I…I just want to who I am before I die."

The woman started at him for a moment. This fool had been a mighty pain in her ass over the years. Disappearing, joining up with those treacherous bastards, Team Rocket. He had made them wait far longer than they should have for this moment, but perhaps she could spare the time to disappoint him just once more.

"Boy, my soul is so old I don't even know the answer to your question anymore." Her voice had become as cold as her smile, which had all but disappeared. "I have existed for a millennia. Once I may have been a priestess - that is what my followers believed - but that could have simply been another iteration. Another life I absorbed in order to extend my own." She gave a small yank to the leather binding his ankle before adding, "As for who you are…you are fodder. Your experiences will be added to _his_ and your body will belong to _him_. That is the truth. Are you happy to hear it?"

She stood up and gestured to the older man – strapped into the adjacent table – that she was ready. When she turned to James she stopped suddenly. "Why are you smiling like that? Do you mean to tell me you _are_ happy to hear it?"

But James didn't respond. Why should he? Why should he tell her why he was smiling just then? After she pulls that switch she'll never know why he smiled and maybe one day it will drive her mad wondering. Or maybe that creature on the other table will absorb all of his memories and tell her. Either way, he would never allow her the privilege of violating his final thoughts. Mocking them. They'd be his treasure.

"Feh," She hissed with disgust and violently cranked the table into a more horizontal angle in preparation for the procedure. The electric feeling in the air intensified and James felt as if every hair was standing on end. A ticking sound like a metronome persisted in the background and he could hear Jessibelle/Mother readying the same switches he had seen used before.

 _This is it_ , he thought, closing his eyes. _I never believed coming home would mean this, but...I guess I didn't expect much more._ His smile returned. _Goodbye Jessie, Meowth, please be happy!_

Then the sound of a large lever falling rattled in James' ear and the electric feeling in the air was now flowing agonizingly through his mind and body. He screamed.

23.

"JAMES!" Jessie bolted down the narrow passageway in the direction of the most terrible sound she had ever heard. She knew immediately the scream belonged to her partner, despite having never heard such a dreadful noise come from him. Not a scream like _that_.

"Good grief, woman, keep back!" one of the armed men had tried to restrain her, but it was no use. She pushed her way past several more grunts before trying desperately to storm the doors herself. "They won't open!" She screamed over the sound of sizzling electricity and machinery that must have been hidden deep within the walls. _"OPEN THEM, NOW!"_

Another scream from beyond and a sizable Conkeldurr bulldozed forth, destroying the doors and part of the surrounding wall. This set off several more traps and another explosion of enemy pokémon which maimed the first stunned group (and very nearly Jessie had one of the quicker team members not yanked her backwards by the collar). Pandemonium. The room filled with people and pokémon who clumsily studied the walls for what must have been a secret door while knocking out pokémon and disarming traps. Another scream, this one longer, drawn out. Jessie was near hysterics now. Giovanni was yelling orders to his men when the young woman with glasses and shoulder length brown hair pushed passed him.

"Look for this symbol!" She shouted at the men, showing them a simple sketch on paper, and almost immediately an arm flew up from the crowd. "Here! Over here!" A latch snapped open. A door.

Just as Giovanni has suspected, the Museum exhibit had been an elaborately laid out trap in order to use the public to locate the last members of The Following. Namely, the clones. Their intensive research over several decades had lead them to discover that, historically, where the clones showed up, disaster usually followed. Records were created and compiled by The Following which documented the lives and eventual premature deaths of hundreds of cloned humans. The paintings and photos in the museum stood like a memorial – each depicting a pair of clones before they were sacrificed to the "deities" - who may have even been human at one time. An entire resistance has been created long ago that was dedicated to infiltration and destruction and while Team Rocket getting involved had nearly destroyed their efforts, the blast at Cinnabar Island appeared to make them a blessing in disguise. Unfortunately, they would discover, the two most dangerous people involved were safely tucked away, awaiting their chance to begin this horror over.

As they finally barged through the final set of doors, a streak of leather and ribbons suddenly rushed the guards, screaming and clawing. The attack took everyone so off-guard it knocked several grunts off their feet. "NO!" It shrieked "NOT YET! I WON'T LET YOU!" Someone screamed and blood seem to gush out of…somewhere…and he yelled, _"She bit me!"_ The professor had immediately used the confusion to make her way to the central machine and flip back the main control key. She had been studying this technology from the time she could read and, even if it looked a little different, she easily knew the ins and outs.

 _"NOOOO!"_ As the machine began to power down rapidly, the creature-that-looked-like-Jessibelle tore through the guards towards what they had once recognized as James' father. He had begun convulsing on the table before he stopped moving entirely and then, with a swift, almost unseen gesture, Giovanni knocked the rabid woman flat onto the ground where several of his people managed to subdue her. Giovanni studied the man. "He's dead" he said after a moment, looking in the direction of the woman in the lab coat.

"Not yet." She replied confidently, and pulled a pistol from her pocket. Several people gasped and backed off but her aim was high: a clear vessel holding what looked like organic light - dancing and swirling, as if alive - hung between the two tables, connecting them both. Bodhi fired a single shot, shattering the glass case.

As its contents flowed free and seemed to drift apart into a thousand points of light and disappear, the thing-that-wasn't-Jessibelle, still struggling with her captures, seemed to lose her will to fight and collapsed to the ground, sobbing.

"That was…"

"Hundreds of stolen souls, all trapped so those monsters can live forever." She spat in the deflated creature's direction. "I'm just glad we were able to save at least one set from them. They'll have a chance at life, if only to live on for their departed brothers and sisters." She woman seemed to mumble a silent prayer.

"Are you sure about that?" Giovanni gestured to where a small group had gathered on the floor next to one of the retraining tables. Jessie was on the ground, cradling her partner, who lay lifeless in her arms. Expressions were grim and now she was sobbing and rocking while his free arm bobbed limply at his side. And that stupid Meowth had buried itself into the young man's chest and Giovanni's couldn't understand why this scene was upsetting him so much. Perhaps after years of dealing with these imbeciles and trying to keep them safe, he had developed some kind of absurd attachment to them. Or, more likely, this was simply evidence of his failure which was something he considered unacceptable on a level such as this. "The soul was never transferred. What happened?" He snapped.

Bodhi adjusted her glasses. "The ritual had clearly begun though..." she said sadly, "I suppose the trauma was just too much…"

Giovanni exhaled and wordlessly directed his people to regroup outside. Such a waste, he thought, bitterly, and turned to leave.

24.

When they had burst into the small, hidden room containing the clones, Jessie, Meowth, Ash and Brock had made a beeline for James as the fighting continued. Jessie's Wobbuffet stood guard loyally, defending the group from incoming fire and deflecting it back at their attackers. James was strapped, motionless, to a nearby table and after the group managed to release the binds, Jessie scooped him up and cradled him on the floor nearby. He was pale and the patterns of previously shed tears were still visible.

" _James_ …" Jessie whispered. "James…please, James. _Please_ …" She gently stroked a lock of lavender hair from his face and traced her finger softly along his cheek as she rocked him. His handsome features looked peaceful as he lay there, although her view of him was becoming increasingly blurred as tears collected in her eyes and then fell in waves. She pulled him in tightly and nuzzled his neck, whispering into his ear. "You're wrong James…you're wrong. You were _never_ in my way. Never! _You_ were my knight in shining armor, you idiot! It was always you!" She sobbed. Meowth sobbed. Even Ash, Brock and Misty were no longer able to deny their fondness for this group of losers when they, too, found themselves rubbing tears from their reddened eyes.

Pikachu was consoling Meowth when its ears perked up. "Pika!"

Meowth was the next to notice, when James' hand twitched slightly and his arm came up and around the pokémon. "Meowth…" he whispered, "that hurts."

Jessie pulled back, eyes wide, mouth agape. _"James!"_ His own emerald eyes finally fluttered open and found his partner's. She looked so sad. She had been crying.

"Jessie…what…?"

But she cut him off with a reassuring hush, kissing his forehead gently while trying to regain her composure. "You're safe, James, we're here. We're not going anywhere. _Shhhh_." And the exhausted young man nodded weakly as he nestled into Jessie's comforting arms.

Sighs of relief were audible around the room and Giovanni, who had stopped just long enough to see the recovery, nodded as he led his men away. There would be rumors later that someone had _actually_ seen a genuine smile cross his lips at that moment…but no one really believed it.

Before he exited, the professor spoke without turning. "I suppose you wouldn't allow us the privilege of taking over care of two of the most important human beings in the history, study and future of cloning? Who could possibly hold the secrets of all the past lives their various counterparts may have experienced throughout hundreds of years…?"

"If you're asking me whether or not Jessie and James are still under the protection of Team Rocket, the answer is yes. They're still my people." His voice became firm. "I would strongly recommend you forget about those two and be happy I'm letting you leave with _that_."

Held by restraints and looking far less dignified than it had moments earlier, the Jessibelle-old-soul-creature peered up and grinned coldly amid blood-stained teeth.

"Well, I suppose we still have those Jennys and Joys to look into." The professor bowed and signaled to her people to move out and she followed dutifully, her work on this case finally complete.

25.

Weeks had passed and life was returning to normal. Ash had rejoined his companions in Kalos after his mother's birthday bash, which had actually gone off without a hitch. It was easy to understand, after everything that had happened, why something as mundane as a birthday party would feel so reassuring. He and his friends had been sworn to secrecy and, having seen the influence of who was asking, the group felt it was in everyone's best interest to comply. Jessie, James and Meowth had politely declined the party invitation, despite the group's genuine offer. They had been through a lot and James still wasn't fully recovered from the ordeal, at least not physically. And there was a lot to discuss...

Jessie was thankful for small miracles. As it turned out, James had lost his memories of nearly the entire affair. According to Professor Bodhi, the process of absorption may have begun in the memory centre, the most recent being the first to go, explaining why James could recall everything up until booking passage to Kanto. After that, he'd said, it was a blank.

Meowth had been skeptical at first; it was typical of James to downplay his own problems in order to keep his friends from worrying on his behalf, but Jessie was convinced and she knew him better than anyone. Had he remembered everything that happened to him, she said, she would see it in his eyes. But they still carried that same, unassuming sparkle as before and Jessie was thankful for small miracles.

Jessie, James and Meowth would remain in Team Rocket by title only. The "inheritance" that had dogged James for so long would disappear, scooped up by Team Rocket in all likelihood. The trio found themselves well taken care of, however, and with a sudden abundance of free time on their hands, they found new ways to enjoy one another's company. Ways that didn't involve theft or fraud.

The following spring Ash would inform his friends he would once again be headed to Kanto, only this time they should join him. He couldn't help but grin widely when he opened the overly-adorned envelope declaring,"You're Invited!" and inside sprang a tacky pop-up invitation for upcoming nuptials. Written in bold letters and beginning the card's summons were the words, _"Prepare for trouble..."_

End.


End file.
